IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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Photograpniic 
Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


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CIHM/ICMH 

CIHM/ICIVIH 

1* 

Microfiche 

Collection  de 

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Series. 

microfiches. 

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Canadia.i  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  et  bibliographiques 


The  Institute  has  attempted  to  obtain  the  best 
original  copy  available  for  filming.  Features  of  this 
copy  which  may  be  bibliographically  unique, 
which  may  alter  any  of  the  images  in  the 
reproduction,  or  which  may  significantly  change 
the  usual  method  of  filming,  are  checked  below. 


D 


□ 


D 


D 


D 


Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 


I      I    Covers  damaged/ 


Couverture  endommag6e 


Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaurde  et/ou  pellicul6e 


I      I    Cover  title  missing/ 


Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 

Coloured  maps/ 

Cartes  gdographiques  en  couleur 

Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 

Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 
Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couleur 


0    Bound  with  other  material/ 
Relid  avec  d'autres  documents 


Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 
along  interior  margin/ 

Lareliure  serrde  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
distortion  le  long  de  la  marge  intdrieura 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
11  se  peut  que  certaines  pages  blanches  ajoutdes 
lors  d'une  restauration  apparaissent  dans  le  texte, 
mais,  lorsque  cela  6tait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  6X6  filmdes. 

Additional  comments:/ 
Commentaires  suppldmentaires; 


L'Institut  a  microfilm^  le  meilleur  exemplaire 
qu'il  lui  a  6t6  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details 
de  cet  exemplaire  qui  sont  peut-dtre  uniques  du 
point  de  vue  bibliographique,  qui  peuvent  n^odifier 
une  image  reproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exifjer  une 
modification  dans  la  methods  normals  de  filmage 
sont  indiqu6s  ci-dessous. 


I      I    Coloured  pages/ 


Pages  de  couleur 

Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommagdes 

Pages  restored  and/oi 

Pages  restaurdes  et/ou  pellicul6es 


I      I    Pages  damaged/ 

I      I    Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 


\/ 


\/ 


n 


Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 
Pages  ddcolor^es,  tachetdes  ou  piqu6es 


□Pages  detached/ 
Pages  ddtachdes 


Showthrough/ 
Transparence 


I      I    Quality  of  print  varies/ 


Quality  indgale  de  I'impression 

Includes  supplementary  material/ 
Comprend  du  materiel  suppl^mentaire 

Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Edition  disponible 


Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc.,  have  been  refilmed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  pages  totalement  ou  partiellement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata,  une  pelure, 
etc.,  on,  6t6  film6es  6  nouveau  de  fafon  6 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 


This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  f\\tn6  au  taux  de  reduction  indiqu^  ci-dessous. 

10X  14X  18X  22X 


y 


26X 


30X 


12X 


16X 


20X 


24X 


28X 


32X 


B 

Stalls 
s  du 
modifier 
r  une 
Image 


IS 


Tha  copy  filmed  h«r«  hat  b««n  raproducad  thanks 
to  tha  ganarosity  of: 

Library  Division 

Provincial  Archives  of  British  Columbia 

Tha  imagas  appaaring  hara  ara  tha  bast  quality 
possibia  consldaring  tha  condition  and  laglbllity 
of  tha  original  copy  and  in  liaaping  with  tha 
filming  contract  spacifications. 


Original  copias  in  printad  papar  covars  ara  filmad 
beginning  with  tha  front  covar  and  anding  on 
tha  last  paga  with  a  printad  or  illustratad  impras- 
sion,  or  tha  back  covar  whan  appropriate.  All 
othar  original  copias  ara  filmad  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  ^«^  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 

Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


L'exemplaire  film*  fut  reproduit  grice  A  la 
g*n«rositA  de: 

Library  Division 

Provincial  Archives  of  British  Columbia 

Les  imagas  suivantas  ont  At4  reprodultes  avac  la 
plus  grand  soin.  compta  tenu  de  le  condition  et 
de  la  nattet«  de  rexemplaire  filmA,  et  «n 
conformity  avac  les  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmage. 

I.es  exemplairas  originaux  dont  la  couverturi  «>n 
papier  est  ImprimAe  sont  filmAs  en  commen^ant 
par  le  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
dernlAre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration.  soit  par  le  second 
plat,  seion  le  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exemplaires 
originaux  sont  filmAs  en  commenpant  par  la 
premiere  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
rJ'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  derniire  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaitra  sur  la 
derniAre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbole  — ^  signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  le 
symbole  V  signifie  "FIN". 

Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc..  peuvent  Atre 
filmAs  A  des  taux  de  rMuction  diff6 -ents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  Atre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  clichA.  il  est  film*  A  partir 
de  Tangle  supArieur  gauche,  de  gauche  A  droite. 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  nAcessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  mAthode. 


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ARCHJEOLOGIA  AMERICANA. 


*JJJC9.?JJJ  t<^— 


DISCOVERY  or  THE  RIVER  MISSISIPPI 

AND   THS 

ADJACENT  COUNTRY. 

^The  following  Account  was  first  published  in  Franc?,  near 
the  close  of  the  seventeenth  centurj.  It  was  soon  after 
translated  into  English,  and  repul)lirthed  in  London.  The 
work  being  out  of  print,  it  is  here  introduced  as  a  prelim- 
inary article  to  more  recent  discoreries  in  that  interesting 
territory.] 

A  new  Discovery  of  a  large  Country  in  the  JVorth- 
ern  America^  extending  above  Jour  thousand 
miles*    By  Father  Lewis  Hennepin. 

A  VOYAGE  TO  NORTH  AMERICA. 

FINDING  in  myself  a  strong  inclination  to  re- 
tire from  the  world,  I  entered  into  the  Franciscan 
order,  where  I  was  overjoyed  in  reading  the  travels 
of  the  fathers  of  my  own  order,  who  were  indeed 
the  first  that  undertook  missions  into  any  foreign 
country.  I  thought  nothing  greater  or  more  glori- 
ous than  to  instruct  the  ignorant  and  barbarous,  and 
lead  them  to  the  light  of  the  gospel.     In  order  to 


■/AS 


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11  n 


62 

which  I  went  missionary  for  Canada,  by  command 
from  my  supcriours ;  and  embarked  at  Rochelle,,  in 
company  of  Mr.  de  I»aval,  since  bishop  of  Quebec, 
the  capital  city  of  Canada.  Our  crew  was  about 
one  hundred  men,  to  tliree  fourths  of  whom  I  ad- 
ministered the  sacrament,  they  being  catholicks.  I 
likewise  performed  divine  service  every  day  wlien 
the  weather  was  calm,  and  we  sung  the  Itinerary  of 
the  clergy,  translated  into  French  verse,  after  even- 
ing prayers. 

I  shall  omit  the  accidents  that  befel  us,  being 
sueii  only  as  are  inseparable  companions  of  all  great 
voyages.  Soon  after  my  arrival,  I  was  sent  in  mis- 
sion about  one  hundred  and  twenty  leagues  beyond 
Quebec,  accompanied  l)y  father  Luke  Buisset.  We 
went  up  the  river  St.  Lawrence  southwards,  till  we 
came  to  fort  Frontenac,  distant  from  Quebec  one 
hundred  leagues.  It  was  built  to  prevent  the  ex- 
cursions of  the  Iroquese,  and  to  interrupt  the  trade 
of  skins  these  savages  maintain  with  the  inhabitants 
of  Newyork,  who  furnish  them  with  commodities 
at  cheaper  rates  than  the  French  of  Can^^da, 

The  Iroquese  are  an  insolent  and  barbarous  na- 
tion, and  have  shed  the  blood  of  more  than  two  mil- 
lions of  people  in  that  vast  extended  country.  They 
would  never  cease  from  disturbing  the  repose  of  the 
Europeans,  were  it  not  for  fear  of  tlieir  fire  arms. 
For  they  entertain  no  commerce  with  them  unless 
it  be  for  arms,  which  they  buy  on  purpose  to  use 
against  their  neighbours ;  and  by  means  of  which 
they  have  extended  their  bloody  conquests  five  or 
six  hundred  leagues  beyond  their  own  precincts, 
(t.xtcrn);na.uiin^  whatever  natioi\  they  hate. 


i 


y 


63 

I  had  already  acquired  some  small  kitowlcdj^c  oi 
the  Iroqucse  language ;  and  father  Lttke  and  I  trans- 
lated the  Creed,  Lord's  Prayer,  and  Litany,  which 
vvc  caused  them  to  get  by  heart,  and  repeat  to  tlieir 
children.  They  jjronounce  no  labial  letters,  such 
as  B,  P,  M,  F.  Here  we  remained  two  years  and 
a  half,  till  we  saw  our  house  of  mission  finislicd,  and 
then  returned  in  a  canoe  down  the  river  St.  Law- 
i-ence  to  Quebec. 

Having  tarried  there  till  those  who  were  expect- 
ed from  Europe  to  bear  part  in  this  discovery  were 
arrived,  I  embarked  in  a  small  canoe,  made  of  the 
bark  of  birch  trees,  carrying  nothing  with  me  but  a 
portable  chapel,  one  blanket,  and  a  mat  of  rushes, 
which  was  to  serve  me  for  bed  and  quilt.  I  arrived 
at  fort  Frontenac  the  second  of  November,  1678, 
and  on  the  eighteenth  embarked  in  a  brigantine  of 
about  ten  tons  and  fifteen  men,  the  Sieur  de  la 
Motte,  commander.  We  sailed  on  till  wc  came  to 
the  further  end  of  the  lake  Ontario,  and  on  tlic  sixth 
of  January  entered  the  river  Niagara  ;  where  wc  set 
our  carpenters  and  the  rest  of  the  crew  to  work  in 
building  a  fort  and  some  houses;  but  foreseeing 
that  this  was  like  to  give  jealousy  to  the  Iroquese, 
and  to  the  PLnglish  who  dwell  near  them,  and  hnve 
a  great  commerce  with  them,  we  told  those  of  the 
village  of  Niagara,  that  we  did  not  intend  to  build  a 
fort  on  the  bank  of  their  river,  but  only  a  great  store 
house  to  keep  the  commodities  we  had  brougiit  to 
supply  their  occasions.  And,  to  remove  their  sus- 
picion,  Mr.  de  la  Motte  thought  it  absolutely  nec- 
essary to  send  an  embassy  to  the  Iroquese  ;  telling 
me,  "  He  was  resolved  to  take  aioiig  with  him  srvcu 


< 


i 


i  i 


•    ; 


n 


64 

men  out  of  sixteen  that  wc  were  in  all,  and  desired 
luc  to  accompany  him  because  I  understood  in  a 
manner  the  language  of  their  nation."  We  passed 
through  forests  thirty  two  leagues,  and  after  five 
days  journey  came  to  a  great  village,  and  were  im- 
niediately  carried  to  the  cabin  of  their  principal. — 
The  younger  savages  washed  our  feet,  and  rubbed 
them  over  with  the  grease  of  deer,  wild  goats,  and 
oil  of  bears.  They  are  for  the  most  part  tall  and 
well  shaped,  covered  vith  a  sort  of  robe  made  of 
beavers'  and  wolves'  skius,  or  black  squirrels,  hold- 
ing  a  pipe  or  calumet  in  their  hands.  The  senators 
of  Venice  do  not  appear  with  a  graver  countenance, 
and  perhaps  do  not  speak  with  more  majesty  and 
solidity  than  those  ancient  Iroqueses. 

One  of  our  men  who  well  understood  their  lan- 
guage, told  the  assembly, 

1.  That  we  were  come  to  pay  them  a  visit,  and 
smoke  with  them  in  their  pipes.  Then  we  deliver- 
ed our  presents,  consisting  of  axes,  knives,  a  great 
collar  of  white  and  blue  porcelain,  with  some 
gowns.  The  same  presents  were  renewed  upon 
every  point  we  proposed  to  them, 

2.  We  desired  them  to  give  notice  to  the  five 
cantons  of  their  nation,  that  were  about  to  build  a 
ship  or  great  canoe  above  the  great  fall  of  the  river 
Niagara,  to  go  and  fetch  European  commodities  by 
a  more  convenient  passage  than  that  of  the  river  St. 
Lawrence,  whose  rapid  currents  make  it  dangerous 
and  long.  And  that  by  these  means  we  should  af- 
ford them  our  commodities  cheaper  than  the  Eng- 
lish of  Boston,  or  the  Dutch,  at  that  time  masters, 
of  Newyork.    This  pretence  was  specious  enough, 


ail 
til 

P 

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65 

and  very  well  contrived  to  ciigngc  the  barbarous  nu 
tioii  to  (.xtirp.iU'  the  Kiiglisih  and  Dutch  out  of  that 
part  of  AuH  lica. 

3.  VVc  tolfj  tJR-m  that  we  should  provide  them  at 
the  river  NiMijjara  with  a  blacksmith  and  a  gunsmith 
to  mend  their  t^uns,  axes,  he.  they  havinj^  nobody 
amonj^  them  that  inidcrstood  that  trade.  We  added 
many  other  reasons  which  we  thought  proper  to 
persuade  them  to  favour  our  design.  The  presents 
we  made  unto  tliem  in  cloth  or  iron,  were  worth 
above  four  hundred  livres,  besides  some  other  Eu- 
ropean commodities  very  scarce  in  that  country ; 
for  the  best  reasons  in  the  world  are  not  listened  to 
among  them  unless  they  are  enforced  with  presents. 

The  next  day  their  speaker  answered  our  dis- 
course article  by  article,  seeming  to  be  pleased 
with  our  proposals  though  they  were  not  really  so, 
having  a  greater  inclination  for  the  English  and 
Dutch  than  for  us.  Whilst  we  were  with  them, 
their  parties  had  made  an  excursion  towards  Vir- 
ginia, and  brought  two  prisoners.  They  spared  the 
life  of  one,  but  put  to  death  the  other  with  most 
exquisite  torments.  They  commonly  use  this  in- 
humanity towards  all  their  prisoners,  and  their  tor- 
ments sometimes  last  a  month.  When  they  have 
brought  them  into  their  canton,  they  lay  them  on 
pieces  of  wood  like  a  St.  Andrew's  cross,  to  which 
they  tie  their  legs  and  arms,  and  expose  them  to 
gnats  and  flies,  who  sting  them  to  death.  Children 
cut  pieces  of  flesh  out  of  their  flanks,  thighs,  or 
other  parts,  and  boiling  them,  force  those  poor 
souls  to  eat  thereof.  Their  parents  eat  some  them- 
9 


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66 

.selves,  aiul  the  better  to  inspire  into  tlieir  children  a 
hatred  of  their  enemies,  give  them  some  of  their 
blood  to  drink.  This  cniolty  obliged  us  to  leave 
them  sooner  than  we  would  have  done,  to  shew 
them  the  horror  we  had  of  their  inhumanity,  and 
never  eat  with  them  afterwards ;  but  returned  the 
same  way  we  went  through  the  woods  to  the  river 
Niagara,  where  we  arrived  the  fourteenth  of  Janua- 
ry, much  fatigued  with  our  voyage,  having  no  food 
on  the  way  but  Indian  corn.  Mr.  de  la  Motte,  no 
longer  able  to  endure  so  laborious  a  life,  gave  over 
his  design,  and  returned  to  Canada,  having  about 
two  hundred  leagues  to  travel. 

On  the  twentieth,  Mr.  de  la  Salle  arrived  from 
fort  Frontenac  with  a  great  bark  to  supply  us  with 
provisions,  rigging  and  tackling  for  the  ship  we  de- 
signed to  build  at  tlie  mouth  of  the  lake  Erie  ;  but 
that  bark  was  unfortunately  cast  away  on  the  lake  On- 
tario, within  two  leagues  of  Niagara.  On  the  twenty- 
second,,  we  went  two  I'nigues  above  the  great  fall  of 
Niagara,  where  we  made  a  dock  for  building  the 
ship.  Mr.  de  la  Sallc  returned  to  fort  Frontenac, 
leaving  one  Tonti,  an  Italian,  for  our  commander. 
He  undertook  this  journey  afoot  over  the  snow, 
having  no  other  provision  but  a  little  sack  of  roast- 
ed Indian  corn.  However,  he  got  home  safely  with 
two  men  and  a  dog,  who  dragged  his  baggage  over 
the  frozen  snow. 

Most  of  the  Iroqucse  w  ere  now  gone  to  wage  war 
on  the  other  side  the  lake  Erie,  and  our  men  con- 
tinued with  great  application  to  build  our  ship  ;  for 
the  Iroquese  who  were  left  behind,  were  not  so  in- 
solent as  before,  though  they  came  sometimes  to 


4 


S. 


67 

our  dock,  and  expressed  some  discontcjit  at  what 
wc  were  doin.tij. 

We  made  all  the  haste  we  could  to  get  our  sMp 
afloat,  though  not  altogether  finished,  to  ynevcnt 
their  designs  of  bunking  it.  She  was  called  the 
Griflin,  about  sixty  tons,  and  carried  five  small 
guns.  We  fired  three  guns,  and  sung  Te  Deum  ; 
and  carrying  our  hammocks  aboard,  the  same  day 
were  out  of  the  reae'i  of  the  savages. 

Before  wc  could  proceed  in  our  intended  discov- 
ery, I  was  obliged  to  return  to  fort  Frontenac,  to 
bring  along  with  me  two  monks  of  my  own  order, 
to  help  me  in  the  function  of  my  ministry.  I  con- 
cealed part  of  the  discouragements  I  had  met  with, 
because  I  designed  to  engage  faUicr  Gabriel  and  Ze- 
nobe  in  our  voyage.  Having  dispatched  our  affairs, 
we  three  went  aboard  a  brigantinc,  and  in  a  short 
time  arrived  at  the  river  which  runs  into  the  lake 
Ontario,  where  we  continued  several  days,  our  men 
being  very  busy  in  bartering  their  commodities  with 
the  natives,  who  exchanged  their  skins  for  knives, 
guns,  powder  and  shot,  but  especially  brandy, 
which  they  love  above  all  things.  Mr.  de  la  Salle 
arrived  in  a  canoe  eight  days  after.  These  impedi- 
ments retarded  us  so  long  that  we  could  not  reach 
the  river  Niagara  before  the  thirtieth  of  July.  Fa- 
ther Gabriel  and  I  went  over  land  to  view  the  great 
Fall,  the  like  whereof  is  not  in  the  whole  world.  It 
is  compounded  of  two  great  cross  streams  of  water 
and  two  falls,  with  an  isle  sloping  along  the  middle 
of  it.  The  waters  which  fall  from  this  vast  height 
do  foam  and  boil  after  'he  most  hideous  manner 
imaginalUe,  making  an  .utragcous  noise  more  terri- 


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ble  t'lan  that  of  thumUr;  so  that  uhtn  the  wind 
blows  from  the  south,  their  dismal  roaring  may  ov 
heard  above  fifteen  U';'<]jues  off. 

The  river  Niagara  having  thrown  itself  down  this 
incredible  precipice,  continues  its  impetuous  course 
for  two  leagues  with  an  incxpressil)le  rapidity  ;  and 
the  brinks  are  so  prodigious  high,  that  it  makes  one 
tremble  to  look  steadily  on  the  water,  rolling  along 
with  a  rapidity  not  to  be  imagined.     It  is  so  rapid 
above  the  descent,  that  it  violently  hurries  down  the 
wild  beast",  endeavouring  to  pass  it  to  feed  on  the 
other  side,  casting  them  down  headlong  above  six 
hundred  feet.    A  bark  or  greater  vessel  may  pass 
from  fort  Frontcnac  until  you  come  within  two 
leagues  of  the  Fall,  for  which  two  leagues  the  peo- 
ple are  obliged  to  carry  their  goods  over  land  ;   but 
the  way  is  very  good,  and  the  trees  are  but  few,  and 
they  chiefly  furs  and  oaks.     Were  it  not  for  this  vast 
cataract  which  interrupts  navigation,  we  might  sail 
with  barks  or  greater  vessels  above  four  hundred 
and  fifty  leagues  further. 

On  the  seventh  of  August  we  went  on  board,  be- 
ing in  all  thirtyfour  men,  and  sailed  from  the  mouth 
of  the  lake  Erie,  and  on  the  eleventh  entered  a 
streight  thirty  leagues  long  and  one  broad,  except 
in  the  middle,  which  makes  the  lake  of  St.  Claire. 
On  the  twcntytliird,  we  got  into  the  lake  Huron. 
The  twentysixth  we  had  so  violent  a  storm  that  we 
brought  down  our  yards  and  topmasts,  and  let  the 
ship  drive  at  the  mercy  of  the  wind,  knowing  no 
place  to  run  into  to  sli  Iter  ourselves.  Mr.  la  Salle, 
notwithstanding  he  was  a  courageous  man,  began 
to  fear,  and  told  us  wc  were  undone ;  whereupon 


m 


aloiii^ 


69 

every  body  fell  on  his  knees  to  say  his  prayers  and 
prcpan-  himself  for  death,  except  our  pilot,  \\  honi 
Wf  could  never  oblige  to  pray  ;  and  he  did  nothing 
all  tJuit  while  but  curse  and  swear  against  Mr.  la 
Salle,  who  had  brought  him  thither  to  ninke  him 
perish  in  a  nasty  lake,  and  lose  the  glory  he  had  ac- 
cpiired  by  his  long  and  happy  navigations  on  the 
ocean.  When  the  wind  abated  we  hoisted  our  sail, 
and  the  next  day  arrived  at  Missilvriakinak. 

On  the  second  of  September  we  weighed  anchor 
and  sailed  to  an  island  at  the  mouth  oi'  tlie  bay  of 
Puans,  forty  leagues  from  Mis^siumikinak,  'J'he 
chief  among  them,  who  had  been  formerly  in  Cana- 
da, received  us  with  all  the  civility  imaginable.  Mr. 
la  Salle,  without  asking  any  other  body's  advice,  re- 
solved to  send  back  the  ship  to  Niagara,  laden  with 
furs  and  skins,  to  discharge  his  debts.  Our  pilot 
and  five  men  with  him  were  therefore  sent  Iwck, 
and  ordered  to  return  with  all  imaginable  speed  to 
join  us  towards  the  southern  parts  of  the  lake,  where 
we  sl^juld  stay  for  them  among  the  Illinois.  They 
sailed  the  eighteenth  with  a  westerly  wind,  and  fired 
a  gun  as  taking  leave.  It  was  never  known  what 
course  they  steered,  nor  how  they  perished  ;  but  it 
is  supposed  that  the  ship  struck  upon  a  sand,  and 
was  there  buried.  This  was  a  great  loss  for  Mr. 
la  Salle  and  other  adventurers,  for  that  ship  with  its 
cargo  cost  above  sixty  thousand  livres. 

We  continued  our  voyage  in  four  canoes,  being 
fourteen  men  in  all,  and  departed  the  nineteenth  of 
September.  We  steered  to  the  south  towards  the 
condnent,  distant  from  the  island  near  forty  leagues. 
On  the  first  oi'  October,  after  twelve  leagues  rowing. 


\\  '( 


[  '\ 


I    . 


,11  I 


\  i 


M 


ii  i    I' 


,:!''' 


•    f        ' 

;  I  t      ■ 
f 

ill 


70 

we  were  in  so  great  danger  by  stress  of  weather,  that 
we  were  forced  to  throw  ourselves  into  the  water, 
and  carry  our  canoes  on  our  shoulders  to  save  them 
from  being  broken  to  pieces.  I  c;irried  father 
Gabriel  on  my  back,  whose  great  age,  being  sixty- 
five  years,  did  not  permit  him  to  venture  into  the 

water. 

Having  no  acquaintance  witli  the  savages  of  the 
village  near  which  we  landed,  we  prepared  to  make 
a  vigorous  defence  in  case  of  an  attack,  and  in  order 
to  it,  possessed  ourselves  of  a  rising  ground  where 
we  could  not  be  surprized.  We  then  sent  three 
men  to  buy  provisions  in  the  village,  with  the  calu- 
met or  pipe  of  peace,  which  those  of  the  island  had 
given  us.  And  because  the  calumet  of  peace  is  the 
most  sacred  thing  among  the  savages,  I  shall  here 
describe  the  same. 

It  is  a  large  tobacco  pipe,  of  a  red,  black,  or 
white  marble.  The  head  is  finely  polished.  The 
quill,  which  is  commonly  two  foot  and  a  half  long, 
is  made  of  a  pretty  strong  reed  or  cane,  adorned 
with  feathers  of  all  colours,  interlaced  with  locks  of 
women's  hair.  Every  nation  adorns  it  as  they  think 
fit,  and  according  to  the  birds  they  have  in  their 
country. 

Such  a  pipe  is  a  safe  conduct  amongst  all  the  al- 
lies of  the  nation  who  has  given  it.  And  in  all  em- 
bassies the  calumet  is  carried  as  a  symbol  of  peace. 
The  savages  being  generally  persuaded  that  some 
great  misfortune  would  bcfal  them,  if  they  should 
violate  the  publick  faith  of  the  calumet.  They  fill 
this  pipe  with  the  best  tobacco  they  have,  and  then 
present  it  to  those  with  whom  they  have  concluded 


I 


'W 

A 


•.*s* 


i^t! 


:m 


r^  ~~    \ 


71 


any  ^eat  affair,  and  smoke  out  of  the  same  after 
them. 

Oar  three  men,  provided  widi  this  pipe,  and  very- 
well  armed,  went  to  the  little  village  three  leagues 
from  the  place  where  we  landed ;  but  finding  nobo- 
dy therein,  took  some  Indian  corn,  and  left  instead 
of  it  some  goods,  to  let  them  see  that  we  were  no 
robbers  nor  their  enemies.  However  twenty  of 
them  armed  with  axes,  small  guns,  bows  and  clubs, 
advanced  near  the  place  where  we  stood ;  whereup- 
on Mr.  la  Salle  with  four  men  very  well  armed, 
went  toward  them  to  speak  with  them,  and  desired 
them  to  come  near  us,  for  fear  a  party  of  our  men 
who  were  gone  a  hunting,  should  meet  with  them 
and  kill  them.  They  sat  down  at  the  foot  of  the 
eminence  where  we  were  posted,  and  Mr.  la  Salle 
spoke  to  them  all  the  while  concerning  his  voyage, 
which  he  told  them  he  had  undertaken  for  their 
good  and  advantage.  This  was  only  to  amuse  them 
till  our  three  men  returned,  who  appearing  with  the 
calumet  of  peace,  the  savages  made  a  great  shout, 
and  rose  and  began  to  dance.  We  excused  our 
taking  some  of  their  corn,  telling  them  we  had  left 
the  true  value  of  it  in  goods  ;  which  they  took  so 
well,  that  they  sent  immediately  for  more,  and  gave 
us  next  day  as  much  as  we  could  carry  away  in  our 
canoes.  They  retired  towards  evening,  and  Mr.  la 
Salle  orderid  some  trees  to  be  cut  down,  and  laid 
across  the  way,  to  prevent  any  surprize  from  them. 
The  oldest  of  them  came  to  us  next  morning  with 
their  calumet  of  peace,  and  brought  us  some  wild 
goats.     We  presented  them  with  some  axes,  knive?, 


f 


^; 


^1 


I 


\  11 


'\ 


i) 


0 


72 

and  several  little  toys  for  their  wives,  with  which 
they  n'f^c  wtU  pkased. 

We  left  that  place  the  second  of  October,  and 
coasted  along  the  lake,  which  is  so  steep  that  we 
could  hardly  find  any  place  to  land.  The  violence 
of  the  wind  obliged  us  to  drag  our  canoes  sometimes 
to  the  top  of  the  rocks  to  prevent  their  being  dashed 
in  pieces.  The  stormy  weather  lasted  four  days, 
during  which  we  suffered  very  much,  and  our  pro- 
visions failed  us  again  ;  which,  with  the  fatigues  of 
rowing,  caused  old  father  Gabriel  to  faint  away  in 
such  manner,  that  I  thought  verily  he  could  not 
live.  We  had  no  other  subsistence  but  a  handful 
of  Indian  corn  once  every  tvventyfour  hours,  which 
we  roasted  or  else  boiled  in  water ;  and  yet  rowed 
almost  every  day  fro lii  morning  till  night.  Being 
in  this  dismal  distress,  we  saw  upon  the  coast  a  great 
many  ravens  and  eagles,  from  whence  we  conjectur- 
ed tlicrc  was  some  prey  ;  and  having  landed  upon 
that  place,  we  found  above  the  half  of  a  fat  wild 
goat  which  the  wolves  had  strangled.  This  provis- 
ion was  very  acceptaijle  to  us,  and  the  rudest  of 
our  men  could  not  hut  praibc  the  divine  Providence 
who  took  so  particular  a  care  of  us. 

Having  thus  refreshed  ourselves,  we  continued 
our  vo}ai.e  directly  to  the  southern  parts  of  the 
lake.  On  the  sixteenth,  we  met  with  abundance  of 
game.  A  savage  we  had  with  us  killed  several  stags 
and  wild  gouts,  and  our  men  a  great  many  turkies, 
very  fat  and  big ;  w  herewith  we  provided  ourselves 
for  several  days,  and  so  embarked  again.  On  the 
first  of  November  we  came  to  the  mouth  of  the  riv- 
er of  the  Miamis,  which  runs  from  the  south  and 


m 
i 


i 


'W 


I 


11 


73 

falls  Into  the  lake.  Here  we  spent  all  that  month 
in  building  a  fort  forty  feet  long,  and  eighty  broad ; 
made  with  great  square  pieces  of  limber  laid  one 
upon  the  other. 

On  the  third  of  December  wc  embarked,  being 
thirtythree  men,  in  eight  canoes,  and  having  rowed 
about  twentyfivc  leagues  up  the  river  Miamis  to 
the  southwest,  we  could  not  find  the  place  where  we 
were  to  land,  and  carry  our  canoes  and  equipage  in- 
to the  river  of  the  Illinois,  which  falls  into  Missisip- 
pi.  Our  savage  who  was  hunting  ashore,  not  find- 
ing us  at  the  place  of  portage,  came  higher  up  the 
river,  and  told  us  we  had  missed  it.  So  we  return- 
ed and  carried  our  canoes  over  land  to  the  head  of 
the  Illinois  river,  which  is  but  a  league  and  a  half 
from  that  of  Miamis.  We  continued  our  course 
upon  this  river  very  near  the  whole  month  of  De- 
cember, towards  the  end  of  which  we  arrived  at  the 
village  of  the  Illinois,  about  one  hundred  and  thirty 
leagues  from  fort  Miamis.  We  found  nobody  in 
the  village,  which  caused  a  great  perplexity  among 
us  ;  for  though  we  m  anted  provisions,  yet  we  durst 
not  meddle  with  the  corn  they  had  laid  under  ground 
for  their  subsistence,  and  to  sow  their  lands  with  ; 
it  being  the  most  sensible  wrong  one  can  do  them, 
in  their  opinion,  to  take  some  of  their  com  in  their 
absence.  However,  our  necessity  being  very  great, 
and  it  being  impossible  to  continue  our  voyage 
without  it,  Mr.  la  Salle  took  about  fortv  bushels  of 
it,  hoping  to  appease  them  with  some  presents. 

We  embarked  again  with  this  fresh  provision, 
and  fell  down  the  river  the  first  of  January,  1680. 
10 


{ i 


^ 


( 


lit,'. 


n 


-^f 


74 

We  took  the  elevation  of  the  pole,  which  was  thirty, 
three  degrees,  fortyfive  minutes.      Although   wc 
used  all  the  precaution  we  could,  we  found  our- 
selves on  a  sudden  in  the  middle  of  their  camp, 
which  took  up  both  sides  of  the  river.     The  111!, 
nois  being  much  terrified,  though  they  were  several 
thousand  men,  tendered  us  the  calumet  of  peace, 
and  we  offered  them  ours.     Mr.  la  Salle  presented 
them  with  Martinico  tobacco,  and  some  axes.     He 
told  them,  "  He  knew  how  necessary  their  corn 
was  to  them  ;  but  that  being  reduced  to  an  unspeak- 
able necessity  when  he  came  to  their  village,  and 
seeing  no  probability  to  subsist,  he  had  been  forced 
to  take  some  corn  from  their  Iiabitations  without 
their  leave.    That  he  would  give  them  axes  and 
other  things,  in  lieu  of  it,  if  they  could  spare  it ;  and 
if  they  could  not,  they  were  free  to  take  it  again." 
The  savages  considered  our  proposals,  granted  our 
demands,  and  made  an  alliance  with  us. 

Some  days  after,  Nikanape,  brother  to  the  most 
considerable  man  among  them,  who  was  then  ab- 
sent, invited  us  to  a  great  feast.  And  before  we 
sat  down,  told  us,  "  That  he  had  invited  us  not  so 
much  to  give  us  a  treat,  as  to  endeavour  to  dissuade 
us  from  the  resolution  we  had  taken  to  go  down  to 
the  sea  by  the  great  river  Missisippi."  He  said, 
"  Ihat  the  banks  of  that  river  were  inhabited  by 
barbarous  and  bloody  nations,  and  that  several  had 
perished  upon  the  same  enterprize."  Our  Inter- 
preter told  him  by  order  of  Mr,  la  Salle,  "  That  wc 
were  much  obliged  to  him  for  his  advice  ;  but  that 
the  difficulties  and  dangers  he  had  mentioned,  would 
make  our  enterprize  still  more  glorious.    That  we 


A'la 


tl 

it  I 

k/ 

dil 

ril 

thl 

th 

w^ 

m< 

tb 


» 


75 

feared  the  Master  of  the  life  of  all  men,  who  ruled 
the  sea  and  all  the  world,  and  therefore  would  think 
it  happiness  to  lay  down  our  lives  to  make  his  name 
known  to  all  his  creatures."  However  Nikanapc'a 
discourse  hul  put  some  of  our  men  under  such  ter- 
rible apprehensions,  that  we  could  never  recover 
their  courage  nor  remove  their  fears ;  so  that  six  of 
them  who  had  the  guard  that  night,  (among  which 
were  two  sawyers,  the  most  necessary  of  our  work- 
men for  building  our  ship)  ran  away,  taking  with 
them  what  they  thought  necessary.  But  consider- 
ing the  country  through  which  they  were  to  travel, 
and  the  season  of  the  year,  we  may  say,  that  for 
avoiding  an  uncertainty,  they  exposed  themselves 
to  a  most  certain  danger, 

Mr.  la  Salle  seeing  those  six  men  were  gone,  ex- 
horted the  rest  to  continue  firm  in  their  duty  ;  as- 
suring them,  that  if  any  were  afraid  of  venturing 
themselves  upon  the  river  of  Missisippi,  because  of 
the  dangers  Nikanape  had  mentioned,  he  would  give 
them  leave  to  return  riext  spring  to  Canada,  and  al- 
low them  a  canoe  to  make  their  voyage  ;  whereas 
they  could  not  venture  to  return  home  at  this  time 
of  the  year,  without  exposing  themselves  to  perish 
with  hunger,  cold,  or  the  hands  of  the  savages. 

On  the  fifteenth,  we  made  choice  of  an  eminence 
on  the  br.nk  of  the  river,  defended  on  that  side  by 
the  river,  and  on  two  others  by  two  deep  ditches 
made  by  the  rains,  so  that  it  was  accessible  only  by 
one  way.  We  cast  a  line  to  join  those  two  natural 
ditches,  and  made  the  eminence  steep  on  every  side, 
supporting  the  earth  with  great  pieces  of  timber. 
By  the  first  of  March,  our  fort  was  near  finished, 


'?! 


ill    ii 
hi  '  * 


76 

and  »e  named  i,  Crevec«:ur.  because  the  desertion 
of  our  men  w«h  .he  difficulties  >ve  laboured  u"dcT 
had  a  most  broke  our  hearts.     ^Vc  had  also  b  n  a 
bark  for  the  continuance  of  our  discovery.     iZl 
ortytwo  feet  long  by  the  keel,  and  ,vas  i„  /Jeh  a 
forwardness,  that  we  should  have  been  in  a  condi 
Uon  to  sa.1  „.  a  very  short  time,  had  wc  bcerl 
vided  vvtth  all  other  necessaries.    But  hearinr,wr" 

■ng  of  our  ship  Griffin,  and  therefore, 3:t 
.ge."g  and  other  tackle  we  expected  bv  lef    1 
found  ourselves  in  great  perplexity    and  HU 
know  what  to  do  in  this  Jjunctu  e'  bet     1"°' 
five  hundred  leagues  from  fo    C  ^nac    ^b  ^ 

rthtrzrirr^^^^^ 

-.-.heicemad:t5:ZSrct 

erdifficut'd:S;;rti"''''"''^''''=-''- 

''uoyed  him  up,  L  he  '  ol'veu  ^iir  '"""^ 
return  to  fort  Frontcnac  by  hnd  ,  f  "'"  '° 
•he  snow  and  the  unspeakable  """"'"'^'""ding 

S-'.-.  journey,  andCttg  S^r'^" 
necessary  thinjrs  to  nmp««  i  ^  ^^*"  ^""^  the 

I  with  two  „^1  1™  °"  "-discovery ;  whife 

M;-isippi.toge.tt"mrd:;;:;:L'° ''-  -■'^^ 

hab-tuig  the  banks  thereof     Ti  """°"^  '"- 

together,  told  them    "H.     ' '™  ■^"■""S  Ws  men 
to  command  in  the  f^rt    117     'f '"  ^'-  '^'>"'' 
hi^  orders  in  his  absenct    ll     ■  "'1  "'^'"  '°  "I'^X 
and  charity,  ,  be  cou^g ^  rarfi^"™'?  "'"- 
»'S"-"    He  assured  them    "»"    "™  '"  "''''  de- 

""'     '^'^  wwld  return  „  ,th 


77 


all  the  speed  imaginable,  and  bring  with  him  a  fresh 
supply  of  meat,  ammunition,  and  rigging  for  our 
bark  ;  and  that  in  the  mean  time  he  left  them  arms 
and  other  things  necessary  for  a  vigorous  defence, 
in  case  their  enemies  should  attack  them  before  his 
return." 

Then  telling  me,  *'  That  he  expected  I  should 
depart  without  further  delay,"  he  embraced  me 
and  gave  me  a  calumet  of  peace,  with  two  men  to 
manage  our  canoe,  Picard  and  Ako,  to  whom  he 
gave  some  commodities  to  the  value. of  about  one 
thousand  livres,  to  trade  with  the  savages  or  make 
presents.  He  gave  to  me  in  particular,  and  for  my 
own  use,  ten  knives,  twelve  shoemaker's  awls  or 
bodkins,  a  small  roll  of  Martinico  tobacco,  two 
pounds  of  rassadc,  i.  e.  little  pearls  or  rings  of  col- 
oured glass  to  make  bracelets  for  the  savages,  and 
a  small  parctl  of  needles  ;  telling  me,  "  He  would 
have  given  me  a  greater  quantity  if  it  had  been  in 
his  power." 

Thus  relying  on  the  providence  of  God,  and  re- 
ceiving the  blessing  of  father  Gi.jriel,  I  embraced 
all  our  men,  and  took  my  leave  of  Mr.  la  Salle,  who 
set  out  a  few  days  after  for  Canada  with  three  men, 
without  any  provisions  but  what  they  killed  in  their 
journey,  during  which  they  suffered  very  much  by 
cold  weather,  snow,  and  hunger. 

We  set  out  from  fort  Crevecoeur,  twentyninth 
of  t  ebruary,  myself,  Picard  and  Ako,  and  when  we 
had  gone  fifty  leagues  down  the  river,  we  came  to 
the  place  where  it  falls  into  the  Missisippi,  between 
thirty  five  and  thirty  six  degrees  of  latitude.  The 
Missisippi  runs  to  the  south  southwest,  between 


'ft 


78 

two  ridges  of  mountains,  is  in  some  places  a  league 
broad,  and  a  half  a  league  where  it  is  narrowest. 
The  ice  which  came  down  stopt  us  here  till  the 
twelfth  of  March.    Then  after  prayers  we  emljark- 
cd,  and  continuing  our  course  down  the  river,  we 
discovered  three  savages  on  the  fifteenth,  and  land- 
ing, marched  up  to  them;  whereupon  they   ran 
away.    But  after  some  signs,  one  returned,  and  pre- 
sented us  the  calumet  of  peace,  which  when  we  had 
received,  the  two  others  came  back.     We  could 
not  understand  one  word  of  their  language ;  and 
when  we  named  two  or  three  different  nations  to 
them,  one  answered  three  times,  Chiquacha.     They 
gave  us  some  pelicans  they  had  killed  with  their  ar- 
rows, and  we  presented  them  with  part  of  our  meat. 
Two  days  after,  we  saw  many  savages  near  the  river, 
crying  aloud,  Sasacouest,  that  is.  Who  goes  there  ? 
as  I  have  been  informed.     They  sent  a  pirogue  or 
heavy  wooden  canoe  towards  us,  wherein  were  the 
three  savages  we  had  met  two  days  before.    We  pre- 
sented our  calumet  of  peace,  which  they  received, 
but  gave  us  to  understand  by  signs  that  we  must 
go  to  the  Akansa,  pointing  to  the  savages  ashore. 
We  could  not  avoid  it ;  and  as  soon  as  we  were 
landed,  the  three  Chiquachas  took  our  canoe  upon 
their  shoulders,  and  carried  it  to  the  village.    These 
savages  received  us  very  kindly,  and  presented  us 
with  beans,  Indian  corn,  and  flesh  to  eat.   We  made 
them  also  a  present  of  some  of  our  European  com- 
modities, which  they  admired,  putting  their  fingers 
upon  their  mouths,  especially  when  they  saw  our 
guns.    The  eighteenth  we  embarked  again,  after 
having  been  entertained  with  danchig  and  feasting. 


5'    i 


I 


79 

and  carried  away  our  commodities,  though  the  sav- 
ages were  very  loth  to  part  with  them  ;  but  having- 
accepted  our  calumet  of  peace,  they  did  not  pre- 
sume to  stop  us  by  force. 

We  passed  by  the  nations  of  Taensa  and  Coroa, 
by  both  which  we  were  kindly  received,  and  on  the 
twentyfourth  came  to  the  nation  of  Quiniquissa. 
The  next  day  we  came  to  a  point  where  the  Missi- 
sippi  divides  itself  into  three  channels.  We  took 
the  middle  one,  which  is  very  broad  and  deep.  The 
water  began  there  to  taste  brackish,  but  four  leagues 
lower  was  as  salt  as  the  sea.  We  rowed  about  four 
leagues  further  and  discovered  the  sea.  The  mouth 
of  the  river  is  very  deep,  without  being  interrupted 
with  any  sands ;  so  that  great  ships  may  go  up  as  far 
as  the  Illinois  river,  which  is  two  hundred  leagues. 
Its  course,  from  its  source  to  the  sea,  may  be  eight 
hundred  leagues,  including  windings  and  turnings. 
It  falls  into  the  gulph  of  Mexico,  between  twenty- 
seven  and  twentycight  degrees  of  latitude.  Its 
mouth  may  be  about  thirty  leagues  from  Rio  Bravo, 
sixty  from  Palmas,  and  eighty  or  one  hundred  from 
Rio  Panuco,  the  nearest  habitation  of  the  Spaniards. 

My  two  men  were  very  glad  of  this  discovery  ; 
but  on  the  other  hand  they  expressed  a  great  deal 
of  dissatisfaction  to  have  been  at  such  trouble  with- 
out making  any  profit,  having  found  no  furs  to  ex- 
change for  their  commodities.  They  were  also 
much  afraid  of  the  Spaniards  of  New  Mexico,  and 
were  perpetually  telling  me,  "  That  if  they  were 
taken,  the  Spaniards  would  never  spare  their  lives, 
or  at  least  give  them  the  liberty  to  return  into  Eu- 
rope."    I  knew  their  fears  were  not  alto|ret!ier  un- 


<  J 


\ 


II 


it 
U 


no 

l-easonablc ;  and  therefore  I  resolved  to  go  no  fur- 
ther, though  I  had  no  reason  to  be  afraid  for  myself, 
our  order  beinjj  so  numerous  in  New  Mexico,  that 
on  the  contrary,  1  might  expect  to  have  had  in  that 
country  a  peaceable  and  easy  life. 

We  lay,  during  the  time  we  were  ashore,  under 
our  canoe,  supported  with  four  forks,  and  made  cur- 
tains of  some  rolls  of  birch  bark,  hanging  from  the 
top  to  the  ground,  to  defend  us  from  the  rain.  We 
saw  nobody,  and  therefore  cannot  tell  whether  that 
coast  be  inhabited.  We  squared  a  tree  of  twelve 
feet  high,  and  making  a  cross  of  it,  erected  it  in  that 
place,  leaving  there  a  letter  signed  by  me  and  mj 
two  men,  containing  an  account  of  our  voyage, 
country,  and  profession.  Then  kncvvling  liear  the 
cross,  we  sung  some  hymns,  and  embarked  again 
on  the  first  of  April,  to  return  towards  the  source  of 
the  river. 

It  is  observable  that  during  the  whole  course  of 
our  sailing,  God  protected  us  against  the  crocodiles, 
which  are  very  numerous  in  that  river,  especially 
towards  the  mouth.  They  looked  dreadful,  and 
would  have  attacked  us,  had  we  not  been  very  care- 
ful to  avoid  them. 

Our  canoe  being  loaded  witl^  three  men  only 
and  our  provisions,  did  not  draw  three  inches  wa- 
ter, and  therefore  we  could  row  very  near  the  shore, 
and  avoid  the  current  of  the  river.  The  next  day, 
April  second,  we  saw,  towards  break  of  day,  a  great 
smoke  not  far  from  us,  and  soon  after  discovered 
four  savage  women  loaded  with  wood,  marching  as 
fast  as  they  could  to  get  to  their  village  before  us. 
But  some  buzzards  coming  near  us,  one  of  my  men 


4' 


81 

oould  not  forbear  to  shoot  at  them,  which  so  fright- 
ed the  women  that  they  left  their  wood,  and  ran 
away  to  their  village,  where  they  arrived  before  us. 
The  savages  having  heard  the  noise,  were  in  as  great 
fear  as  their  wives,  and  left  their  village  upon  our 
approach.  But  I  landing,  immediately  advanced 
alone  with  the  calumet  of  peace,  whereupon  they  re- 
turned, and  received  us  with  all  the  resjiect  and  civil- 
ity imaginable.  We  maue  tl.^m  some  small  presents 
to  show  our  gratitude,  and  left  that  place  April  the 
fourth,  and  rowed  with  such  diligence  that  we  arrived 
the  same  day  at  Koroa.  I  was  surprized  to  see  their 
Indian  com,  which  was  left  very  green,  grown  alrea- 
dy to  maturity  ;  but  I  have  learned  since,  that  their 
com  is  ripe  sixty  days  after  it  is  sown.  They  have 
three  or  four  crops  of  Indian  com  in  a  year,  having 
no  other  winter  than  some  rain.  They  have  all 
sorts  of  trees  we  have  in  Europe,  and  many  others 
unknown  to  us.  There  are  the  finest  cedars  in  the 
world,  and  another  tree  from  which  drops  a  most 
fragrant  gum,  which  in  my  opinion  exceeds  our 
best  perfumes.  The  cotton  trees  are  of  a  prodig- 
ious height ;  the  savages  make  them  hollow  with 
fire,  to  make  their  pirogues  of  them.  We  saw  some 
of  them  all  of  a  piece  above  one  hundred  feet  long. 
They  told  us,  "  That  to  the  westward  are  some 
beasts  who  carry  men  upon  their  backs,"  and  shew- 
ed us  the  hoof  and  part  of  the  leg  of  one,  which  was 
certainly  the  hoof  of  a  horse  ;  and  surely  horses 
are  not  utterly  unknown  in  the  northern  America  ; 
for  near  the  cape  named  by  us  St.  Anthony,  we  saw 
a  horse  and  some  other  beasts  painted  upon  the  rock 
11 


•■'? 


n 


'I 

f 

f 


.>t  } 


I  •-  :*   ,    *  .*• 


89 

with  red  colours  by  the  savages.    But  whereas  we 
had  been  told  tint  the  Spaniards  of  New  Mexico 
lived  not  above  forty  leagues  from  them,  and  sup- 
plied them  with  European  commodities,  we  foinid 
nothing  among  them  that  might  be  suspected  to 
come  from  thence,  unless  it  be  some  little  pieces  of 
glass  strung  upon  a  thread,  with  which  the  women 
adorn  their  heads.     \Vv  left  tJie  habitations  of  the 
Akansas,  the  fourth  of  April,  and  during  sixty 
leagues  saw  no  savage.       Our  provisions   being 
spent,  we  had  nothi/ig  to  live  upon  but  the  game 
we  kiilerl,  or  the  fish  we  could  catch.     On   Jie 
twelfth,  as  my  two  men  were  boiling  a  buzzard,  and 
myself  refitting  our  canoe  on  the  bunk  of  the  river, 
I  perceived  on  a  sudden,  about  two  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon,  no  less  than  fifty  canoes  made  of  burk, 
manned  with  one  hundred  and  twenty  savages  stark 
naked,  coming  down  the  river  with  an  extraordina- 
ry swiftness,  to  surprize  the  Mianiis  and  Illinois 
their  enemies. 

We  threw  away  the  broth  which  was  preparing, 
and  getting  aboard  as  fast  as  we  could,  made  to- 
wards them,  crying  out  in  the  Iroquese  and  Algon- 
quin languages,  *«  Comrades,  we  are  men  of  wooden 
canoes ;"  for  so  they  call  those  that  sail  in  great  ves- 
sels. This  had  no  effect,  for  they  understood  not 
what  wc  said ;  so  that  surrounding  us  immediately, 
they  began  to  let  fly  their  arrows  at  us,  till  the  eld- 
est amongst  them  perceiving  I  had  a  calumet  of 
peace  in  my  hand,  came  up  to  us  and  prevented  our 
^eing  murdered  by  their  warrioJirs. 

1  hey  presently  jumped  out  of  their  canoes,  some 
upon  land,  others  into  the  water ;  surrounding  us 


83 


on  all  sicks  with  shrieks  and  outcries  that  were  in. 
deed  terrifying.  It  was  to  no  purpose  to  resist,  be- 
ing hilt  three  to  so  great  a  number.  One  of  them 
snatehed  the  pipe  of  peace  out  of  my  hand.  We 
presented  them  with  some  small  pieces  of  Martinico 
tobacco,  and  made  signs  to  them  with  our  oars  upon 
the  sand,  that  the  Miamis  their  enemies,  whom  they 
were  in  search  of,  liad  passed  the  river,  and  were 
gone  to  join  the  Illinois. 

Being  tlun  out  of  all  hopes  of  surprizing  their 
enemies,  three  or  four  of  the  eldest  of  them  laid  their 
hands  on  my  head,  and  began  to  weep  bitterly,  ac- 
companying their  tears  with  such  mournful  accents 
as  can  hardly  be  expressed  ;  while  I,  with  a  sor- 
ry handkerchief  I  had  left,  made  shift  to  dry  up 
their  tears  ;  however,  to  very  little  purpose  ;  for  re- 
fusing to  smoke  in  our  calumet,  they  thereby  gave 
us  to  understand,  that  their  design  was  still  to  mur- 
der us  ;  and  one  hundred  of  their  leaders  coming 
up  to  us,  made  us  to  understand  by  signs,  that  their 
warriours  were  resolved  upon  our  death.  This 
obliged  me  to  apply  myself  to  their  chiefs,  and  pre- 
sented them  with  six  hatchets,  fifteen  knives  and 
some  pieces  rf  tobacco  ;  after  which,  bending  my 
neck  and  pointing  to  a  hatchet,  I  signified  to  them, 
by  that  submisbion,  that  we  threw  ourselves  on  their 
mercy. 

The  present  had  the  good  effect  to  soften  some  of 
them,  who,  ac(,ording  to  their  custom,  gave  us  some 
beavers'  flesh  to  eat,  themselves  putting  the  three 
first  bits  in  our  mouths,  having  first  blown  upon  it, 
because  it  was  hot ;  after  this  the}  set  their  platter 
before  us,  made  of  the  bark  of  a  tree,  leaving  us  at 


>  1 


■^ 


u 


84 

liberty  to  feed  after  our  own  fashion.  These  civilities 
did  not  hinder  us  from  passing  the  night  away  very 
uneasily,  because  in  the  evening,  before  they  went 
to  sleep,  they  had  returned  us  our  calumet  of  peace. 
The  two  canoemen  resolved  to  sell  their  lives  as 
dear  as  they  could,  and  to  defend  themselves  like 
men  to  the  last,  in  case  they  should  attack  us.  For 
my  part  I  told  them,  I  resolved  to  suffer  myself  to 
be  slain  without  the  least  resistance,  in  imitation  of 
our  Saviour.  However,  we  watched  all  night  by 
turns,  that  we  might  not  be  surprized  in  our  sleep. 
The  next  morning  early,  one  of  their  captains  who 
had  been  for  killing  us,  came  and  demanded  my 
pipe  of  peace  ;  it  being  delivered  him,  he  filled  it 
with  tobacco,  and  made  the  rest  who  had  been  for 
putting  us  to  death  to  o.noke  in  it ;  then  he  made 
signs  that  we  must  go  along  with  them  into  their 
country,  to  which  they  were  then  returning.  This 
proposal  was  very  welcome  to  us,  and  we  rowed  in 
their  company  for  nineteen  days  together,  some- 
times north,  and  sometimes  northeast,  according  to 
the  best  observations  we  could  make  by  our  com- 
pass ;  so  that  after  these  barbarians  had  forced  us  to 
follow  them,  we  made  more  than  two  hundred  and 
fifty  leagues  up  the  river  Missisippi,  and  we  were 
got  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  leagues  up  the 
same,  above  that  of  the  Illinois,  when  we  were  first 
taken  by  them.  One  of  the  nineteen  days  of  our  most 
tiresome  voyage,  a  captain  called  Aquipaguetin,  who 
afterwards  adopted  me  for  his  son,  had  killed  a  large 
fat  deer,  to  which  he  invited  the  chief  captains  of 
the  warriours.  After  the  repast,  the  savages,  with 
their  hair  anointed  with  oil  of  bears,  and  stuck  aH 


1    I 


85 

j»ver  with  red  and  white  feathers,  and  their  heads 
covered  with  the  down  of  birds,  began  to  dance 
with  their  hands  upon  their  hips,  and  strikinp^  their 
feet  with  great  force  against  the  ground.     During 
the  dance,  one  of  the  sons  of  the  master  of  the  cere- 
monies made  them  all  smoke  in  the  pipe  of  war, 
himself  shedding  abundance  of  tears.     The  father 
in  the  mean  while  laying  his  hands  on  our  heads, 
and  lifting  up  his  eyes  to  heaven,  bathed  himself  in 
tears.     As  for  us,  as  far  as  we  could  judge,  all  this 
grimace  boded  us  no  good  ;  and  indeed,  we  after- 
wards understood,  that  he  meant  nothing  less  than 
our  destruction  by  it.     But  finding  the  oj)position 
he  was  like  to  meet  from  the  other  chiefs,  who  were 
of  a  contrary  opinion,  he  was  content  to  suffer  us  to 
reembark,  resolving,  however,  to  make  use  of  some 
other  stratagen^  to  get  into  his  own  hands,  by  little 
and  little,  the  rest  of  our  things ;  not  daring  to  take 
them  from  us  openly  by  force,  for  fear  of  the  rest  of 
his  own  nation ;  by  which  it  plainly  appears,  that  he 
was  a  crafty  designing  knave.     His  son  was  killed 
by  the  Miamis,  and  finding  he  could  not  revenge 
himself  on  that  nation,  vented  his  passion  upon  us. 
Having  thus  travelled  nineteen  days  in  our  canoe 
by  water,  we  came  within  six  leagues  of  the  fall  of 
St.  Anthony,  where  they  held  an  assembly  to  con- 
sult what  they  should  do  with  us.     At  last  they 
separated  and  gave  us  to  three  of  their  chiefs,  in- 
stead of  three  of  their  sons  which  had  been  killed  in 
the  war  ;  then  they  seized  our  canoe  and  took  away 
all  our  equipage  ;  our  canoe  they  pulled  to  pieces ; 
their  own  they  hid  among  the  alders,  so  that  though 
we  might  have  gone  conveniently  enough  quite  up 


"U. 


! 


r-; 


M  ' 


86 

into  their  country  by  water,  yet  we  were  obliged 
by  their  conduct  to  travel  no  less  than  sixty  leagues 

afoot. 
Our  ordinary  marches  were  from  break  of  day  till 
ten  at  night ;  and  when  wc  met  with  any  rivers,  we 
swam  them,  themselves  (who  for  the  most  part  are 
of  an  extraordinary  size)  carrying  our  clothes  and 
equipage  on  their  heads.  We  never  eat  but  once 
in  twentyfour  hours,  and  then  nothing  but  a  few 
scraps  of  meat  dried  in  smoke,  after  their  fashion, 
which  they  afforded  us  with  abundance  of  ngret. 

I  was  so  weak  that  I  often  lay  down,  resolving 
rather  to  die  than  follow  these  savages  any  farther, 
who  travelled  at  a  rate  so  extraordinary,  as  far  sur- 
passes the  strength  of  any  European.  However,  to 
hasten  us,  they  sometimes  set  fire  to  the  dry  grass 
in  the  meadows  through  which  we  passed,  so  that 
our  choice  was,  march  or  burn.  When  we  had  thus 
travelled  sixty  leagues  afoot,  and  undergone  all  the 
fatigues  of  hunger,  thirst,  and  cold,  besides  a  thou- 
sand outrages  daily  done  to  our  persons  ;  as  soon  as 
we  approached  their  habitations,  which  arc  situat- 
ed in  morasses  inaccessible  to  their  enemies,  they 
thought  it  a  proper  time  to  divide  the  merchandize 
they  had  taken  from  us.  Here  they  were  like  to  fall 
out  and  cut  one  another's  throats  about  the  roll  of 
Martinico  tobacco,  which  might  still  weigh  about 
fifty  pounds.  Then  arose  a  high  dispute  about  the 
distribution  they  were  to  make  of  our  persons.  At 
last,  Aquipaguetin,  as  head  of  the  party,  carried  it ; 
who  turning  towards  me,  presented  me  his  calumet 
of  peace  to  smoke  in,  receiving  from  me  at  the  same 
time  that  which  we  had  brought,  and  then  adopted 


87 


ine  for  his  son,  in  the  room  of  him  he  ha^cl  lost  in 
the  war. 

Two  other  captains  did  the  same  by  the  two  ca- 
noemen.  This  separation  was  very  grievous  to  us, 
though  somewhat  allayed  by  the  satisfaction  we  had 
to  find  our  lives  were  safe.  Picard,  being  sensible 
of  the  uncertain  condition  liis  life  was  in  among  so 
barbarous  a  people,  took  me  aside  to  confess  him. 
I  should  have  been  overjoyed  to  have  seen  Ako  so 
well  disposed.  Being  thus  parted,  the  savages  led 
us  avvay,  each  to  his  own  village. 

I  came  to  Aquipaguc tin's  habitation  in  the  month 
of  May,  1680.  The  next  day  he  shewed  me  to  six 
or  seven  of  his  wives,  telling  them  that  they  were  to 
esteem  me  as  ojie  of  their  sons,  and  ordered  those 
about  him  to  give  me  the  title  that  was  due  to  the 
rank  which  I  was  to  hold  amongst  my  new  kindred. 

I  spent  three  months  very  ill  in  this  place  among 
the  Issati  and  Nadovtssians.  My  new  father  gave 
i.ie  nothing  to  eat  but  a  few  wild  oats  five  or  six 
times  a  week,  and  the  roes  of  dried  fish.  He  sent 
me  into  a  neighbouring  isle  with  his  wives,  children 
and  servants,  where  I  digged  with  a  pickaxe  and 
shovel  I  had  recovered  from  those  that  robbed  us. 
Here  we  planted  tobacco,  and  some  European  pulse 
which  I  brought  from  thence,  and  were  highly  priz. 
€d  by  Aquipaguetin. 

During  my  stay  among  them,  there  arrived  four 
savages  in  embassy,  who  said  they  were  come  above 
five  hundred  leagues  from  the  wtst,  and  had  been 
four  moons  upon  the  way.  They  assured  us  there 
was  no  such  place  as  the  btreight  of  Anian,  andtliat 
they  had  marched  without  resting,  except  to  sleep. 


H 


•.i.^3R-| 


.11  ^'1 


li 


38 

or  kill  gartic  for  their  subsistence,  and  had  not  seen 
or  passed  over  any  great  lake ;  by  which  phrase  they 
always  mean  the  sea. 

They  farther  informed  us,  that  the  nation  of  the 
Assenipoulaes,  who  lie  northeast  from  the  Issati, 
was  not  above  six  or  seven  days' journey  from  us; 
that  none  of  the  nations  within  their  knowledge, 
who  lie  to  the  west  or  northwest  of  them,  had  any 
great  lake  about  their  countries,  which  were  very- 
large,  but  only  rivers,  which,  coming  from  the  north, 
run  across  the  countries  of  their  neighbouring  na- 
tions which  border  on  their  confines  on  the  side  of 
the  great  lake,  which  in  their  language  is  the  same 
as  sea.  They  farther  assured  us,  that  there  were 
very  few  forests  in  the  countries  through  which 
they  passed  in  their  way  hither,  insomuch  that  now 
and  then  they  were  so  put  to  it  for  fuel,  that  they 
were  forced  to  make  fires  of  bulls'  dung  to  boil 
their  victuals.  All  these  circumstances  make  it 
appear,  that  there  is  no  such  place  as  the  streights 
of  Anian,  as  we  usually  see  them  set  down  in  maps. 
And  whatever  efforts  have  been  made  for  many  years 
past  by  the  English  and  Dutch,  the  two  nations  of 
the  world  who  are  the  greatest  navigators,  to  find 
out  a  passage  to  China  and  Japan  through  the  fro- 
zen sea,  they  have  not  yet  been  able  to  effect  it.  But, 
by  the  help  of  my  discovery,  and  the  assistance  of 
God,  I  doubt  not  but  a  passage  may  still  be  found, 
and  that  an  easy  one  too.  For  example  ;  one  may 
be  transported  into  the  Pacifick  sea  by  rivers  which 
are  large  and  capable  of  carrying  great  vessels,  and 
from  thence  it  is  easy  to  go  to  China  and  Japan 
without  crossing  the  equinoctial  line ;  and  in  all 


7 

V, 


89 

probability  Japan  is  on  the  same  continent  as  Ame- 
rica. 

Toward  the  end  of  July,  the  Sieur  de  Luth,  ac- 
companied with  five  men,  arrived  in  our  camp  from 
Canada  ;  and  because  I  had  some  knowledge  of  the 
language  of  the  Issati,  he  desired  that  I,  with  Pi- 
card  and  Ako,  might  accompany  him  to  the  villa- 
ges of  those  people.  1  was  very  willing  to  under- 
take it,  especially  when  I  understood  that  they  had 
not  received  the  sacraments  in  the  whole  two  years 
and  a  half  that  they  had  been  out  upon  their  voyage. 
We  arrived  at  the  villages  of  the  Issati  the  14th  of 
August,  and  having  exchanged  our  commodities 
we  returned  to  the  camp.  Towards  the  end  of  Sep- 
tember, we  let  them  understand,  that  to  procure 
them  iron  and  other  merchandizes  which  was  use- 
ful for  them,  it  was  convenient  that  we  should  re- 
turn to  Canada ;  and  that  at  a  certain  time  when  we 
should  agree  upon  between  us,  they  should  come 
half  the  way  with  their  furs,  and  we  the  other  half 
with  our  European  commodities.  Upon  this,  they 
held  a  great  Council,  and  consented  to  our  return. 
Ouasicoude  their  chief  captain  gave  us  some  bushels 
of  wild  oats  for  oar  subsistence  by  the  way,  having 
first  regaled  us  in  the  best  manner  he  could.  These 
oats  are  better  and  more  wholesome  than  rice. 
Then,  with  a  pencil,  he  marked  down  on  a  sheet  of 
paper  which  I  had  left,  the  course  we  were  to  keep 
for  four  hundred  leagues  together. 

We  put  ourselves  into  two  canoes,  being  eight 
Europeans  of  us  in  all.      We  fell  down  the  river  of 
St.  Francis  into  the  Missisippi,  and  thence  went  up 
12 


r 


W  1 . 


.,    I; 


A 


90 

the  river  Ouisconsin,  naviinjable  lor  larj^e  vessels  a- 
bove  one  hundred  leagues  ;  then  wc  carried  our  ca- 
noes over  lancUuilf  a  league.  Thus  having  made 
more  than  four  hundred  leagues  by  water  since  our 
departure  from  the  country  of  the  Issati,  we  arriv- 
ed at  last  at  the  great  bay  of  the  Puans,  where  we 
found  many  Canadians,  who  were  come  hither  to 
trade;  they  having  some  wine  with  them,  I  admin- 
istered the  sacrament  and  preached.  After  two 
days  stay,  we  departed ;  and  after  one  hundred 
leagues  rowing,  having  coasted  along  the  great  bay  of 
Puans,  we  arrived  atJIissilimakinakj  where  we  were 
forced  to  winter. 

We  parted  from  Missilimakinak  in  Easter  week 
1681,  and  having  rowed  one  hundred  leagues  along 
the  side  of  the  lake  Huron,  we  passed  the  streights, 
which  are  thirty  leagues  througii,  and  the  lake  of 
St.  Clair,  which  is  in  the  middle;  thence  over  the 
lake  Erie  to  the  full  of  Niagara,  from  whence  we 
carried  our  canoe  t»vo  leagues  below,  and  came  to 
the  lake  of  Ontario  or  Frontenac.  When  we  came 
to  the  fort,  we  were  kindly  received  by  father  Luke 
Buisset  and  Mr.  la  Fleur,  who  had  the  command  of 
the  fort  in  the  absence  of  Mr.  la  Salle.  But  our 
men  being  eager  to  return  to  Canada,  we  took  leave 
and  went  for  Quebec.  In  two  days  we  came  to 
Montreal,  sixty  leagues.  Count  Frontenac  looking 
out  at  a  window  saw  me  in  the  canoe,  and  took  me 
for  father  Luke  Fiilatre,  who  served  him  as  chap- 
lain ;  but  one  of  his  guards  knowing  me  again,  went 
to  him  and  acquainted  him  with  my  coming.  He 
was  so  kind  as  to  come  and  meet  me,  and  gave  me 
the  best  reception  that  a  missionary  might  expect 


91 

from  a  person  of  that  ranlc  and  quality.  He  wonder- 
ed to  see  me  so  much  altered,  being  lean,  tired,  and 
tanned.  He  carried  me  to  his  own  house,  where  I 
continued  twelve  days  to  refresh  myself.  He  forbade 
all  his  servants  to  give  me  any  thing  to  eat,  lest  I 
should  fall  sick  if  left  to  my  own  discretion  after  so 
long  hardships ;  and  gave  me  himself  what  he 
thought  best. 

When  I  desired  his  permission  to  go  to  Quebec, 
he  appointed  two  of  his  guards,  who  understood  ve- 
ry well  to  manage  a  canoe,  to  carry  me  thither, 
where  the  provincial  commissary  of  the  Recollects 
ordered  me  to  return  to  Kurope, 


n  tt 


An  Account  of  Mr.  la  Salle '^  undertaking  to  dis- 
cover  the  River  MISSISIPPI,  by  way  of  the 
Gulph  of  Mexico.  By  Father  Lewis  Hen- 
nepin. 

MR.  Robert  Cavalier  de  la  Salle  was  a  person 
qualifitd  for  the  greatest  undertakings,  and  may  be 
justly  ranked  amongst  the  most  famous  travellers 
that  ever  were.  This  will  appear  to  whomsoever 
will  consider  that  he  spent  liis  own  estate  about  the 
greatest,  most  important,  and  most  perilous  discove- 
ry that  has  been  yet  made.  His  design  was  to  find 
out  a  passage  from  the  northern  to  the  south  sea 
without  crossing  the  line,  which  a  great  many  have 
hitherto  sought  in  vain.  The  river  Missisippi  does 
not  indeed  run  that  way  ;  but  he  was  in  hopes  by 
means  of  that  liver  to  discover  some  other  river 


